Man dies in crash near downtown Lexington

Lexington police are investigating a two-vehicle crash that killed a man Tuesday.

The collision happened about 11:30 a.m. at South Upper and East Maxwell Streets, closing both of the one-way streets while police investigated.

Lexington police Lt. Mario Russo said a white Ford Explorer was heading east on Maxwell Street when it collided with a maroon Toyota Tundra pickup truck travelling south on Upper.

The Tundra was so badly mangled that firefighters had to cut it up to free the driver. The driver, who was not identified Tuesday afternoon, was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, where he later died.

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The driver of the Explorer, later identified as Joseph W. Robinson, 23, refused to be taken to the hospital, Russo said.

Officers from the police's Collision Reconstruction Unit did not know who was at fault in the crash Tuesday afternoon. Russo said it was likely that one of the drivers ran a red light, but conflicting witness statements made it hard to determine who.

Robinson and the driver of the Tundra were wearing seat belts, according to a news release from the Lexington police.